Laos: Six dead from possible methanol poisoning: BBC Learning English from the News

From BBC Learning English.

This is 'Learning English from the News', our podcast about the news headlines.

In this programme, six tourists die with suspected methanol poisoning in Laos.

Hello, I'm. Phil, and I'm Beth.

In this programme, we look at one big news story

and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.

You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode,

as well as a worksheet on our website:

bbclearningenglish.com.

So, let's hear more about this story.

Eight hostel staff members have been detained

after six tourists died in Laos.

The tourists' deaths were thought to have been caused by drinks

that had been contaminated with methanol, a type of alcohol

that the human body cannot process.

Vang Vieng is a town popular with backpackers,

usually young people who travel on a budget,

and has a reputation for cheap alcohol and partying.

According to humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontieres,

that's Doctors Without Borders, Asia has the highest incidence

of methanol poisoning,

with cases in Indonesia, India, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Methanol is sometimes added to homemade alcohol,

but just 30ml can be deadly.

And here's a headline about this story.

It's from Business Insider.

Six tourists who died are believed to have drunk tainted alcohol in Laos.

And that headline again from Business Insider.

Six tourists who died are believed to have drunk tainted alcohol in Laos.

This headline is telling us that six tourists have died and

what the reason is believed to be.

Now, we have this adjective, 'tainted'.

So Phil,

this must be linked to poisoning in some way.

Yes. It's often used to say that something harmful has been added

to something else, making it dangerous. As in this case,

it's often used to talk about safety issues around food and drink.

Yes, if something has gone wrong with food manufacturing,

a company may have to find tainted products and remove them from sale.

Now, in this story, it's thought the drinks bought by the tourists

were tainted with methanol, which is poisonous.

In this story, 'tainted' is being used literally,

but it's also commonly used metaphorically to talk

about a situation, memory,

or relationship that has been made bad by something.

Yes. So, a bad incident might taint your memory of a particular time.

Negative feelings like jealousy might taint a relationship.

So, we've had 'tainted' - made dangerous by something harmful.

For example, the company had to recall the tainted meat.

This is 'Learning English

from the News', our podcast about the news headlines.

Today, we're talking about the deaths of six tourists in Laos,

suspected to be caused by drinks containing methanol.

Since the first news of these deaths emerged,

tourists in Vang Vieng have reported shock, a feeling of unease,

and taking more care over what they're drinking.

The next story we're going to look at discusses how people are feeling

in Vang Vieng.

This is from Al Jazeera.

Laos's methanol poisoning deaths send chill through backpacker paradise.

And that headline again from Al Jazeera: Laos's methanol poisoning deaths

send chill through backpacker paradise.

So, this headline talks about the effect of the deaths on Vang Vieng.

And we're looking at this expression 'send chill through'.

It sounds like something from a horror film.

Well, yes. If there's a chill then it's cold.

Think about how that makes you feel.

It can make you shiver, and fear can do the same.

That's what this headline is talking about.

The dark feeling in the town caused by the deaths.

Yes, we often say

that bad news or a scary situation sends chills through people.

And we can also say that something 'gives you chills' or 'the chills'.

For example, the news of the accident sent a chill through the crowd,

or the dark, empty street gave him chills.

So we've had 'send chill through' that's 'make worried or afraid'.

For example, seeing the destruction caused by the earthquake sent a chill

through the rescue team.

This is 'Learning English from the News' from BBC Learning English.

We're talking about the deaths of six tourists in Laos

suspected to be caused by drinks containing methanol.

Vang Vieng has gained a reputation as a party town.

Many young backpackers stay in the town

and there are a number of tourism businesses there,

many offering cheap alcohol.

In 2012, a number of bars were closed

after a large number of tourist deaths were recorded locally.

And our next story is about this reputation.

I have a headline here from The Telegraph:

How an idyllic Laos village turned into a hedonistic party hotspot.

And that headline again:

How an idyllic Laos village turned into a hedonistic party hotspot.

And that's from the Telegraph, in the UK.

So Vang Vieng is described both as an idyllic village

because of its beautiful natural setting,

but also a party hotspot.

We also have the adjective 'hedonistic', which we're going to look at now.

'Hedonistic' is all about pleasure.

Literally, a hedonistic lifestyle is one where

your own pleasure is the most important thing.

And we tend to use it to talk about doing too much of things,

especially uncontrolled partying, drinking, drug-taking.

For example, some celebrities have been famous for their hedonistic lifestyles.

And in this headline, 'hedonistic' is describing Van Vieng and

how it has become known for partying, alcohol and drug use.

We've had 'hedonistic' - related to uncontrolled partying.

So, for example, the rock band became known for their hedonistic parties.

That's it for this episode of 'Learning English from the News'.

We'll be back next week with another news story.

If you've enjoyed this programme,

remember you can find loads more programmes

about all different topics on our website bbclearningenglish.com.

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just search for 'BBC Learning English'.

Bye for now. Goodbye.